Xero vs Zoho Books: which should you actually choose?

From 25 USD/mo for Xero, versus Free for Zoho Books. See the pricing table above for the full tier breakdown — the cheapest entry price isn't always the cheapest at the plan you'd actually need.

Small teams that need multiple people in the books without per-user fees. Meanwhile, Zoho Books: Price-sensitive small businesses needing full double-entry accounting. Check "Where each wins" above for the specific reasoning.

Most accounting/invoicing tools support exporting your data (clients, invoices, transactions) to CSV, and many accountants can help migrate the books. It's rarely instant or free of friction, though — factor in migration effort when the choice is close, not just the monthly price.

Xero: No permanent free plan — No free tier — 30-day free trial. Plan names and prices differ by country (UK: Ignite/Grow/Comprehensive/Ultimate at different price points) — confirm the right regional page for your market. Zoho Books: Free plan covers 1 user and up to 1,000 invoices/year for businesses under $50,000 annual revenue. Extra users cost $3/user/mo ($2.50 annually) on paid plans.

Xero: Originated in New Zealand; strong UK, Australia and NZ tax/MTD support with a growing US presence. Zoho Books: Broad multi-country tax compliance including UK/EU VAT and India GST — VERIFY country-specific feature parity.

Worth a look: QuickBooks Online — The default choice for US small businesses that want their accountant to already know the software — shop the exact plan tier carefully, since it's rarely the cheapest option. Or start with our free tools below and upgrade only once you actually outgrow them.